Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language!
Offered By
Universiteit Leiden
Meertens instituut (KNAW)
Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics
Universiteit LeidenAbout this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
44%
started a new career after completing these courses
23%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
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Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
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Flexible deadlines
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Beginner Level
Approx. 23 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Romanian, Arabic, Bulgarian
Skills you will gain
Essay WritingHistoryEnglish LanguageChinese Language
Learner Career Outcomes
44%
started a new career after completing these courses
23%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 23 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Romanian, Arabic, Bulgarian
Offered by
Universiteit Leiden
Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. This prominent position gives our graduates a leading edge and prepares them for careers both within and outside of academia. Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575. Our motto is: Praesidium Libertatis (Bastion of Liberty) - Freedom of spirit, thought and expression. Leiden University has a campus in Leiden and The Hague, with 7 faculties, 47 Bachelor Programmes, 79 Master Programmes and nearly 30,000 students.
Meertens instituut (KNAW)
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
4 hours to complete
Introduction to Linguistics
In this first week, we will try to determine what makes language human: why do (almost) all human beings have a language, and what makes human language different from animal communication systems? We will furthermore discuss the many different places where linguists work, and the many different methodologies that they use for conducting their research. You will moreover get to know all the other participants in this MOOC: my students Inge and Marten, as well as the speakers of six different languages. Finally, don't forget to watch our first expert interview: Marten and Inge have talked with Dr. Victoria Nyst of Leiden University, who has enlightened us in the fascinating world of sign languages! For the assignments with the support of Ethnologue, please make sure to study the instructions listed in 'required and optional readings' of this module.
4 hours to complete
15 videos (Total 76 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
15 videos
How to succeed in your online class?2m
Human Language and Animal Communication Systems6m
Human Language Versus Other 'Languages'9m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: Language Diversity9m
Language Diversity and Ethnologue8m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: What do Linguists do?13m
Interview with Dr. Victoria Nyst10m
Introduction language informants + introducing Han Hu, Speaker of Mandarin Chinese4m
Introducing Roberta D'Alessandro, speaker of Abruzzese48s
Introducing Khalid Mourigh, speaker of Tarifit Berber51s
Introducing Varun DeCastro-Arrazola, speaker of Basque1m
Introducing Beste Sevindik, speaker of Turkish1m
Introducing Enoch Aboh, speaker of Gungbe1m
Conclusion; language and dialect2m
6 readings
Meet the instructor & his team5m
Leiden University: Facts & Figures10m
Community Guidelines 5m
What is your learning path?5m
Registration Ethnologue10m
Required and optional readings30m
1 practice exercise
Test your knowledge 130m
2 hours to complete
The study of sound: Phonology and Phonetics
In this module we will delve into what appear to be the smallest building blocks of spoken language: 'sounds'. As we will see however, all is not what it seems, as we will in fact encounter an even smaller building block of language, a true atom. Another interesting thing about this module is that as of this week our 6 informants will all only speak their own language. Naturally, there is also an interview with my very special friend Prof. dr. Claartje Levelt, whom I have announced before.
2 hours to complete
13 videos (Total 62 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
13 videos
Production of speech sounds7m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: consonants of world languages8m
Sounds in systems7m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: sounds and language change11m
Interview with Prof. dr. Claartje Levelt7m
Introduction + Tarifit Berber4m
Gungbe1m
Turkish1m
Abruzzese1m
Mandarin Chinese1m
Basque1m
Conclusion; sounds and gestures1m
1 reading
Required and optional readings30m
1 practice exercise
Test your knowledge 230m
5 hours to complete
The study of words and sentences: Morphology and Syntax
In this module we will discuss words and sentences. All languages have them; but as I will illustrate, they can be organized in very different ways in different languages. I will furthermore demonstrate what cupcakes have in common with words in a sentence. This module's interview is with one of the most cited and re-knowned linguists alive, Prof. Noam Chomsky! Finally, our 6 language informants will provide us with information about the word order in their languages.
5 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 86 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes
14 videos
Morphology9m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: world of words11m
Syntax and word order (a)8m
Syntax and word order (b)5m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: world of word order8m
Interview with Prof. Noam Chomsky28m
Introduction + Basque3m
Tarifit Berber2m
Gungbe1m
Turkish58s
Abruzzese1m
Mandarin Chinese55s
Conclusion; structure beyond sentences1m
1 reading
Required and optional readings1h
1 practice exercise
Test your knowledge 330m
3 hours to complete
The study of meaning: Pragmatics and Semantics
This module deals with a topic which many of you find very interesting: meaning. How do we determine what a word means? To what extent does our language influence our thinking? How can we change the world with language? As usual, we also have an additional interview with an expert of the current module's theme: in this module Barend Beekhuizen talks to Inge and Marten about his work as a Leiden PhD student in computational linguistics.
3 hours to complete
13 videos (Total 66 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
13 videos
Semantics7m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: color and snow10m
Pragmatics11m
Discussion with Marten and Inge: changing the world with sentences9m
Interview with Barend Beekhuizen MA11m
Introduction + Abruzzese1m
Tarifit Berber1m
Turkish1m
Basque52s
Mandarin Chinese2m
Gungbe1m
Conclusion; untranslatable words?1m
2 readings
Required and optional readings1h
Quiz readings10m
1 practice exercise
Test your knowledge 430m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM MIRACLES OF HUMAN LANGUAGE: AN INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS
by DCSep 23, 2017
Extremely informational, well presented, with questions that stimulate reflection. The optional reading material is food for thought. I hope to see more courses from the same professor and University.
by SSMar 21, 2019
I've taken a number of online courses on linguistics now, and this one was by and far the best. The material covered is indepth and engaging, and the professor's enthusiam makes the videos a delight.
by DPJan 2, 2017
Excellent! Really enjoyed and learnt a lot. I did not expect such a great content and professionalism in a free course. I am definitely purchasing for the title. Thanks to all the team! Great job!
by MPJun 22, 2016
Some of the material could be a bit more analytical, and there were a few problems with the quiz questions. Other than that, perfect! Great introduction to linguistics. Thank you for your hard work!
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